Watermelon beyond slices

Among summer fruit, watermelon is like a cheerful relative with sloppy table manners -- OK to invite to the picnic, but not to a formal dinner.

Well, this summer, watermelon has earned white-tablecloth status, showing up on all sorts of fine-dining menus. Just not as dessert.

Graham Elliot Bowles, who likes to quote Enrico Caruso on watermelon ("It's a good fruit. You eat, you drink, you wash your face."), uses watermelon because, he says, "It ties together the whole summer thing. My philosophy is that if you close your eyes, you should be able to tell what season it is by what you're eating."